the sun always has to set
by JasonGraceless
Summary: Megan Yew has always loved the sun. But what happens when... the sun falls in love with her? (CO-WRITE WITH LONG. LIVE. HP. PJ. HG)
1. Good Luck, Megan

****Collaboration story by JasonGraceless and live. long. HP. PJ. HG****

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Megan Yew had always been fascinated by the sun. Her tiny apartment's walls were painted with sunbursts. She had little models and doodles of the sun all over the place. Every morning, she woke up with a smile on her face. She had arranged her bed at a specific angle to the window specially so that the sunlight fell on her face when she woke up. The warmth and light always invigorated her, making her ready for another day of working at the counter of Starbucks. In the heart of the neon-lit mall, she didn't have a hope to see the sun, even if she prayed to the god of the sun himself, until the end of her shift. Making drinks for rude, tired businessmen, and eleven-year-old girls with an attitude didn't help either. Really, she just lived for her lunch break and the end of her shift, when she could finally take her evening jog with her dog, Lucy (short for Lucinus, which meant 'bright' in Latin) while watching the sunset. The sunset was sad and beautiful, the thing she loved most was leaving, but it had good reason to. And she knew she would see it again. Megan preferred day to night. She was actually was scared of the dark, but no one knew that. All they knew of was the bright, bubbly, look-on-the-bright-side Megan Yew. No one ever knew that, inside of her, if you looked past the bright positivity, buried below was a whole lot of sadness.

She didn't have a lot of money. She had grown up with only her mother. As the story went, Megan's mother and father had eloped when they were eighteen, and her mother had gotten pregnant. One night, before Megan was born, her father had stood up from their tiny dinner table and had said, "Honey, I'm going to go get a pack of cigarettes. I'll be back in fifteen minutes."

Well, it must have been a heck of a long line at the store, because he never came back. Megan's mother searched for him for days, but she never found him. She had no one. She was pregnant, illegally married, and eighteen. She had next to nothing. But her mother had been a wonderful person. She found a job and worked day and night to get money. When Megan was born, she cared for her better than Megan was sure most fortunate children were cared for. She never, not once, complained or got angry.

That just proved that the best people had the most rotten luck. Because, when Megan herself turned eighteen, her mother died of cancer.  
She was in her thirties. The gods could be so cruel sometimes. But Megan had promised herself that she would never complain. She didn't have it nearly as bad as her mother had. She had a small apartment in Manhattan. She everything she needed, plus luxuries her mother hadn't had. She even had a dog to keep her company. She would not complain. She would work hard to keep what she already had.

The day after her mother died, she had been clearing out her mother's room and found a little box labeled "MEGAN- COLLEGE SAVINGS." Puzzled, she opened it and gasped. Her head swam. Her mother had been saving all this money, just so she could go to college? Her mother had worked so hard to send her to college, when she had next to nothing for herself? Megan felt her eyes burn. She hadn't appreciated her enough.

So, that very day, Megan set out, determined to find a job. She would not use the money her mother had worked for so hard. She opened a savings account and deposited her money. She didn't think she could live with herself if she lost it. Then she went to ten different stores, looking for jobs. None of them accepted her. Slumping, she sat down at a table in Starbucks at the mall. What was she going to do? Tears blurred her vision, and she put her head in her hands.

She felt a tap on her shoulder, and she looked up. A woman with long, brown hair that was streaked with gray, blue eyes that had smile crinkles in the corners of her eyes, and a warm smile was kneeling next to her. She looked like she was pregnant. "Are you all right?"

Megan looked at her, and then stared at her hands. She couldn't believe a stranger could be so kind. "Yeah.. Yeah, I'm fi-"  
And then she began to cry.

The woman sat next to her and handed her a napkin. "What's wrong? You can tell me. It'll make you feel better. I'm Sally, by the way."

Megan wiped her eyes. "I-I'm Megan." And then her whole story poured out, as did a whole new flood of tears.

Sally looked sympathetic. Like she had gone through something like this herself. "I'm so sorry. I was orphaned too. Here, I'll give you my number. You can call me if you ever need anything, or if you just want to talk." She scribbled down her number on a napkin and handed it to her with a little bag of blue candy that said SWEET ON AMERICA on it. Megan had loved that store. She and her mother had used to go there to buy candy for a special treat sometimes. She smiled.

Sally smiled back. "I heard that candy always makes you feel better. I'm sorry, I have to go. I'm late for work. But please, call me if you need anything. And, if you're looking for a job, I heard Starbucks is hiring now."

Megan blew her nose. "Thank you so much. You just made my whole day. I don't even know how to-"

Sally patted her on the back. "Don't worry. Good luck, Megan."

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**A/N: So, what do you think? Please please pretty please review? They'll help update faster!**

**And remember to check out long. live. HG. PJ. HG's profile! She has two stories on it, and she is currently writing another, so make sure to follow her if you liked this story!**


	2. Our Little Secret

**Thank you so much for reviewing: Forever-Fangirl-PJO-HP, bloodofolympuspreview, Finwitch1, hermione-and-annabeth, and one Guest.**

**So, here's the next chapter!**

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Megan wiped her eyes one last time. _You will get UP now_, she told herself sternly. She couldn't afford to fall into a depression, and after she had met Sally, she was determined not to. She popped a delicious blueberry sour string into her mouth as she got up from the little table in Starbucks and marched over to the counter. There was a crooked sign hanging from it which said:

**NOW HIRING: **ask to speak with manager

She went up to the counter, and a bubbly teenage girl greeted her. "Welcome, I'm Jessica! Now, our special today us the pumpkin sprinkle latte, and today's free iTunes download of the day is "The Sun Always Has To Set," and—"

She had said all of this in less than two seconds when Megan interrupted. "I'm sorry, but can I speak to the manager? I want to apply for the job."

Jessica looked a little miffed that Megan didn't want to listen to her carefully rehearsed speech, but she pointed to a door in the far left corner. "Just knock. Good luck!"

Megan carefully walked to the door and knocked. She realized that she probably didn't look to professional, but she didn't want to go home and change, and, well, this was Starbucks, after all. She put out her hand to knock, but then the door opened as soon as her fist was a tenth of an inch away from the door.

A young lady with auburn hair tied back into a bun in a silvery gray suit jacket and skirt opened the door. Her name tag said 'Diana.'

A little nervously, Megan said, "Um...hello...I'm here to apply for the job?" Her sentence unintentionally ended on a question.

The young lady, Diana, raised her eyebrows. "And you would be...?"

"Oh, um, Megan. Megan Yew."

Diana's eyes softened by just a fraction of a degree. Megan wondered what she had said that had caused it.

"Well, Megan, can you give me a list of your job experiences?"

"Ummm... well, I kind of don't have any."

Diana raised an eyebrow. "Well, in that case, I don't think-"

And for the second time that day, Megan burst into tears in front of a stranger. And for the second time, her story spilled out.

Diana looked shocked. "You poor young maide- I mean, you poor young girl. No, no what I was going to say was 'Well, in that case, I don't think you need a resume'."

Megan felt her cheeks turn pink. "Oh."

Diana looked sympathetic. "Well, you got the job. Why don't you sit down, and we'll discuss the details?"

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Megan walked to the counter, proudly carrying her new apron with a name tag that said "Hi, my name is Megan!" on it. Jessica wrinkled her nose and pointedly moved a few feet away. "Hon, who are you and what are you doing here?"  
Megan frowned. "I got the job. You know, I'm the one who asked you where the manager-"

Jessica smiled sweetly. "Ohh, you're that girl! That's wonderful! Well, in that case... you know, it's not too hard to be a cashier and make lattes at the same time, is it? " She began to take off her apron.

"W-where are you going?" Megan asked stupidly, as Jessica successfully took off her apron and handed it to her. Jessica giggled. "Oh, well, since you're here, I doubt they'll need me. It'll be our little secret." She was smiling, but her eyes flashed dangerously. "Won't it?"

Megan gulped. She was used to being trodden over. "Uh.. yes, ma'am."

Jessica smiled, like she knew a secret that Megan didn't. "I'm going to the sunglasses kiosk. A really hot guy works there. Bye, hon!" And with that, she swirled away, leaving Megan carrying two aprons, twice the workload she was paid for, and twice the amount of weight on her shoulders.

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**A/N: ****Hmmmm... did anyone catch those clues? There's something about that manager... and who's this mysterious guy at the sunglasses kiosk? **

**Leave a review telling us your suspicions... You guys have been really good about reviewing so let's try to get to four more before the next update? Please?**

**Love you guys!**

**~JasonGraceless & live. long. HP. PJ. HG**


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